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Full-Text Articles in History
Small But Deadly: The Minié Ball, Isaac J. Shoop
Small But Deadly: The Minié Ball, Isaac J. Shoop
The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History
When Claude-E’tienne Minié perfected the minié ball in 1849, it is doubtful he knew of the carnage that it would cause in the American Civil War some twelve years later. However, this small and compact bullet can teach us far more than simply the horrific bloodletting it caused on the battlefield itself. A closer analysis of the bullet’s impact on the human body also reveals a deeper glimpse into Civil War hospitals, medicine, and an entirely new scale and scope of death with which Victorian Americans were forced to come to terms as the war’s long casualty lists poured in …
The Camel Corps Experiment, Abigail K. Major
The Camel Corps Experiment, Abigail K. Major
The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History
“Did you know there was a push to create a Camel Corps right before the beginning of the American Civil War?” This certainly seems like an interesting piece of trivia to share around the dinner table, but what was the Camel Corps and what insights can it provide on U.S. military thinking in the mid-19th century? I believe that the Camel Corps Experiment, regardless of whether it was deemed an utter failure or not, demonstrated progressive military thought and the desire of its advocates to explore advancements in both mobility and technology for military practices. [excerpt]
A Radical Idea: Charles Ellet’S Rams, Savannah Labbe
A Radical Idea: Charles Ellet’S Rams, Savannah Labbe
The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History
The political cartoon above shows an engineer named Charles Ellet attempting to get a meeting with General George McClellan. Ellet contacted many government officials and important men to try to get his ideas recognized and implemented. Ellet was born in Pennsylvania in 1810 and was inspired to become an engineer when he watched the opening of the Erie Canal. At age 20, he went to Paris to learn his craft, attending lectures for civil engineers and examining bridges, railroads, and other structures. He returned to the United States afterwards and in 1835 went to work as an assistant engineer for …
Inspirations Of War: Innovations In Prosthetics After The Civil War, Savannah A. Labbe
Inspirations Of War: Innovations In Prosthetics After The Civil War, Savannah A. Labbe
The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History
In early 1861, a Confederate soldier named James Edward Hanger waited on the ground to die. Minutes before, his left leg had been shot off above the knee while he was sitting with his comrades in the loft of a barn in Philipi, Virginia. As soon as the cannonball burst through the barn, the rest of the men fled, leaving Hanger behind. He was found by enemy troops and brought to a doctor, who amputated his leg. Hanger became the first person to have a limb amputated during the Civil War. When one thinks of Civil War injuries, amputations often …
Science, Signals, And Service: The Smithsonian Institution’S Role During The Civil War, Danielle E. Jones
Science, Signals, And Service: The Smithsonian Institution’S Role During The Civil War, Danielle E. Jones
The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History
Today, the Smithsonian is known for its world-famous exhibits, massive collections of American and natural history artifacts, and its contributions to research around the world. But many people don’t know the role the Smithsonian played during the Civil War. The Smithsonian Castle was finished in 1855 and would become the first home of the research center, the library, and the US Museum. The government recognized the importance of the Institution and, after war was declared, the US Secretary of War ordered Joseph Henry, the Smithsonian Secretary, be issued twelve muskets and 240 rounds of ammunition “for the protection of the …